The Department of the Environment has entrusted the Laboratoire National de métrologie et d’Essai (LNE) with carrying out a thermal pre-diagnosis using aerial infrared thermography of the whole of the Principality, by a twin-engine plane equipped with an infrared scanner enabling the heat loss on roofs to be measured.

These measures will be carried out during the night between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. by a Partenavia P68 twin-engine aircraft at an altitude of between 1 000 and 2 000 feet, i.e. 300 to 600 metres.

The operation should be carried out in December. The precise date has not yet been established, since this depends on very special weather conditions: a low temperature, no rainfall within 24 hours prior to the flight, low surface wind speed (below 15 km/h). In order to have a perfect visual display of the heat loss of housing relating to insulation defects, the outside temperature has to be particularly low for several days, since the buildings, in such conditions, are heated on a continuous basis.

“The flight over the Principality will enable us to obtain an accurate mapping of any heat loss on all public and private buildings. An accurate diagnosis which will then enable anybody concerned to take the necessary action to reduce or eliminate this heat loss which has an impact on our heating bills” points out Cyril Gomez, Director of the Environment. He adds: “these strong measures are part of the action we need to implement as part of the Energy Climate plan introduced by the Government of Monaco, the goal of which is to increase our country’s energy efficiency by 20% compared to 2006. The results will be widely distributed among the inhabitants of the Principality once the measures have been examined and worked on by LNE engineers”.